Railway-track structure.



No. 658,356. Patented Sept. 25, I900. T. C. DU FONT.

RAILWAY TRACK STRUCTURE. A nlicat on filed Dec 1 1899) 3 Shots-Sheet 1,

(No Model.)

INVENTOI? m Q AuQm/Jc EV 00: NQWwQix ATTORNEY.

W/TLIE SE65 I T. a. nu FONT. RAILWAY TRACK STRUCTURE.

Patented Sept. 25. I900.

(Application filed Doc. 1, 1899.)

3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

(No Model.)

E e G Ill:

' uwznron Q. C duQm Qr WITNESSES QMNMMH.

M A TTORNEV.

No. 658,356. Patented Sept. 25, I900.

T. C. DU FONT.

RAILWAY TRACK STRUCTURE.

(Applies-don filed Dec. 1, 1899.)

(No Modal.) 3 Shoots-Shoet 3.

WITNESSES: VINVENTOB QJ\NV\'&\:L

m% A TTORIIEV.

- UNITED STATES;

PATENT Flues.

THOMAS c. DU Po r, or, oHNs ow ,PENNsYLv IA, ASSIGNOR To.,.TI-1E LoRAIN-s'rn COMPANY, or PENNSYLVANIA.

RAILWAY-TRACK STRUCTURE,

s'rEc'IFIcA'rIoN forming part of Letters Patent No. 658,356, datedSeptember 25, 1900.

Application filed December 1, 1899. Serial 170- 788,879. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THbMAs O. on PoNT, of Johnstown, in the county ofCambria and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and usefulImprovement in Railway-Track Structures, of which the following is afull, clear, and exact description, reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of this specification.

My invention has relation to certain new and useful improvements inrailway-track structures, and more particularly to frogs, switchmates,and crossingsof that class which are constructed of a plurality of railends or sections united by a central portion of cast metal, in whichtheir adjacent ends are embedded. Heretofore in structures of this classin a certain high grade of work it has been the practice to form thecentral cast-metal portion of cast-iron poured in a liquid state aroundand between the rail ends and also through openings or perforations intheir Webs, the whole forming a massive body, in which the weight of thecast metal alone is several hundred pounds. Cored in the upper centralportion of the cast-iron body is a pocket or recess, in which issubsequently fitted and secured an intersection orwearplate of hardermetal, having fiangeways'and gage-lines in alinement with the gage-linesof the rail-sections and constituting that part of the structure whichis subject to greatest wear. While structures of this construction havegiven excellent service and have been very largely used instreet-railway-track con-.

struction, they are open to several objections, both from the standpointof the manufacturer and the user, which may be briefly stated asfollows: The large body of cast-iron necessary to give the structure therequisite strength renders it bulky and heavy to handle and ship, whilethe operation of properly fitting and securing therein the hardenedmetal Wear or intersection plate with due regard to the alinement ofgage-lines is one which requires considerable time and labor, involving,as it does, the passage of each piece through several different shops ordepartments before the structure is finally completed and ready forshipment. Furthermore, the large lateral projection of the cast-ironbody increases the difficulty of fitting the adjacent pavement theretowhen the structure is placed in the street and provides a considerableamount of metallic surface inthe street.

The present invention has for its object to provide a track structurewhich shall be equally durable in service to that above described inthat the parts subject to greatest wear are composed of hardened metal,but which obviates the objections above stated.

To this end my invention consists in a railway track structure composedof a plurality of rails or railsections properly fitted together andplaced to form the particular struc ture in view and united by a centralportion of hardened cast-steel cast in place between and through therails or rail-sections and havingits uppersurface provided withfiangeways and gage-lines which aline with those of the rails or railmembers. Owing to the greater strength of the cast-steel and the mannerin which it is preferably used, as hereinafter described, I am enabledto very materially reduce the size and weight of the cast body to suchan extent'that it need have little orno lateral projection beyond thestructure, and at the same time I provide the structure with anintersection wear-surface of the same du rable character as heretoforewithout the necessity for using and fitting separate plates, asheretofore. The construction is, in fact, designed to be more durable,since being practically one piece throughout there is no opportunity forlooseness and play or hammering under the action of passing car-wheels.

The invention also consists in the novel construction and combination ofparts,all as hereinafter described,"and pointed out in the appendedclaims, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure l is a perspective view of a frog or cross constructed inaccordance with my invention. Fig. 2 is a'planviewfo f the same,

showing the rails fitted and placed to form the frog and ready toreceive the cast metal. Fig. 3 is a side view of the completed frog.Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7 are sections taken, respectively, on the lines 4 4,5 5, 6 6, and 7 7 of Fig. 3. Fig. 8 is a plan view of a switch-mate emIOO bodying the invention; and Figs. 9, 10, and 11 are sections,respectively, on the lines 9 9, 1O 10, and 11 11 of Fig. 8.

Referring more specifically to the frog or cross shown in Sheets 1 and 2of the drawings, the letters A, B, O, and D designate, respectively, thefour rail members of the frog, and E designates the central connectingportion of cast-steel.

According to the preferred method of construction I take two rails cutto the proper length and each of these I cut in twoon oblique lines,(indicated at Ct in Fig. 2,) forming the said members A, B, C, and D.Each member is then again out obliquely through its head on the linesindicated at b, the cut extending entirely through the head andterminating, preferably, at the point where the web joins the head.These severed head portions are then entirely removed by another cutalong the line joining the head to the web. The inner portions of thebase flange or foot of each member is also planed off on the line 0, andon the members B and O the guard side of the heads are also slightlyplaned, as indicated at a. The outer corners of said flanges on themembers A and B are also preferably cut off, as indicated at b, Fig. 2.Openings e are also formed through the web of each member. Theseopenings are preferably at different levels, as shown in Fig. 3. Thefour members are now set up in a mold placed as shown in Fig. 2, themembers B and G hav ing their planedbases andguard sides of their headsabutted and the members A and D havin g their bases abutted and thetread sides of their heads cornered together and forming at.

the center an angular opening H. Fluid caststeel is now poured into themold and, flowing between and around the projecting bases and webs ofthe rail members, fills the entire space between the obliquely-cut endsI) of the heads to the top level of the latter and also between therails and underneath their heads, as shown in Figs. 4, 5, 6, and 7. Bymeans of a suitable top core in the mold arranged in a manner well knownto the art flangeways It may be formed in the top surface of thecast-steel, with gage-lines registering with those of the rail members.Side cores may also be used, as indicated at G, for the purpose oflightening the structure and to give opportunity for spiking. The castmetal used may be similar to that which has heretofore been used in themanufacture of the separate hardened cast intersection-plates.Constructed in this manner the structure is practically one piecethroughout and is of very great strength and rigidity, whilecomparatively light. All the parts subject to greatest wear are formedentirely of the hardened cast-steel, and owing to the great strength ofthis metal and the extended grip it has upon the rail members, due tothe fitting and construction of the latter, as above described, its massmay be made comparatively small, thereby not only saving in weight andexpense of material,

but also avoiding lateral projection beyond the lines of the sides ofthe heads of the rail members. Thus it will be seen that in the frogillustrated in the drawings the cast metal is entirely included withinthe outer lines of the rail members, its least width being at the centeror intersection portion of the structure. The structure has thereforeregular lines, to which when placed in the ground the paving may beeasily fitted. It also presents a minimum area of metallic surface, andin case of removal necessitates but little disturbance of the adjacentpaving.

It should be noted that the feature of cutting the rail-heads obliquely,as shown at b, has a double function. In the first place, it provides aconsiderable increase in the surface area of the cast metal E withoutmaterially increasing the bulk of the latter, and, in the second place,it enables the car-wheels to pass gradually from the harder cast metalto the softer metal of the rail members, and vice versa, instead ofmaking a sudden jump from one to the other. It will also be noted thatthe guard projections shown at it serve to protect or act as a fender tothe joint between the cast metal and the ends of the rail members.

Referring now to the switchmate shown on Sheet 3 of the drawings, itwill be seen that the construction is essentially the same as in thefrog, except that three rails M, N, and O are used instead of four, saidrails having portions of their heads removed and projecting into thecast metal P, the entire body of which is formed of hardened steel castin place in substantially the same way as in the frog and constitutingthe solid central portion of the structure. 7

Instead of providing holes through the web for the fluid metal to flowthrough the webs of the rails may obviously be provided with projectionsor roughened surfaces, or depressions or pocket-s may be formed in therails in order that the cast metal may take hold of the same. In fact, astructure may be made having considerable strength in which the metal issimply poured about the end portions of the rails.

If desired, the structures may be subsequently annealed. 7

It will be readily understood that theinvention may be readily appliedto a right-angled crossing, to a crossing or frog in which one or bothof the intersecting tracks are curved, and to other forms of trackstructures. I do not therefore limit myself to the details which I haveherein shown and described, as these may be changed without departingfrom the essential features of my invention as pointed out in theappended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to protectby Letters Patent, is

1. A railway-track structure, comprising a plurality of rail members orsections relatively placed to form the wing portions of the structure,the head portions thereof at their adjacent ends being entirely removed,and a central connecting portion of hard cast-steel cast about andembedding said end portions, substantially as described.

2. A railway-track structure composed of a plurality of rail membersWhose web and base portions at their adjacent ends are extended beyondtheir head portions, and a central connecting portion of hard cast-steelcast about and through the extended webs and fitting the space betweenthe adjacent railheads to the level thereof, and forming the trackintersection, substantially as described.

3. A railway-track structure, composed of a plurality of rail membershaving their heads cut obliquely at their adjacent end portions, andtheir web and foot portions extended beyond their heads, and acast-steel central portion cast in place around and through the said endportions, to the full height of said members, substantially asdescribed.

4. A railway-track structure, composed of short rail-sections formingthe wing portions of the structure, and a central connecting portion ofhard steel cast about the end portions of said sections, with its uppersurface level with the top surfaces of the heads of said sections, andmeeting the same obliquely, substantially as described. p

5. The herein-described frog or track-crossing consisting of fourrail-sections placed to form the four wing portions of the structure,and having their heads formed with oblique ends and their base and websextended beyond the said heads, and a central homogeneous connectingportion of hard steel cast to said sections and forming the trackintersection, substantially as described.

6. The herein-described frog or track-cross ing, consisting of fourrail-sections forming. the four wing portions of the structure, the twosections at each end having their web and base portions extended beyondtheir heads to substantially meet the corresponding portions of the twoopposite sections, and a central portion of cast-steel cast to saidsections and uniting the same, the lateral faces of said centralportions being substantially flush with the outer lateral lines of theheads of said sections, substantially as described.

7. The herein-described frog or track-crossing, consisting of fourrail-sections forming the four wing portions of the structure, the twosections at each end having their web and base portions extended tosubstantially meet the corresponding portions of the two oppositesections, and a central portion of hard steel cast to said sections, andforming the intersection portion of the structure, substantially asdescribed.

8. In a track structure, a central member of hard steel cast to the wingmembers and" forming the intersection portion of the structure, saidcentral member joining the heads of the wing members obliquely,substantially as described.

9. In a track structure, acentral member of hard steel cast to the wingmembers and forming the intersectionportion of the structure, saidcentral member joining the heads of the wing members obliquely, andhaving top projections at one end which guard the joints between saidcentral and wing members, substantially as described.

10. In a track structure, a central member of hard steel cast to thewing members and forming the intersection portion of the structure, saidcentral member having its side faces within the lines of the outer edgesof the wing members, and cored out to form seats for spike-heads,substantially as described.

11. In a railway-track frog or crossing, the rail-sections A, B, O and Dhaving their heads out obliquely and their web and base portionsextended beyond their heads, and also cut obliquely at their ends, and acentral connecting portion of hard steel cast to said railsections, andforming the intersection portion of the structure, substantially asdescribed.

12. In a railway-track frog or crossing, the rail-sections A, B, O and Dhaving their heads formed with oblique ends and their web and baseportions extended beyond their heads and also cut obliquely, the baseportions of each-pair of rails being also partly cut away and abutted attheir inner sides, and a central -'connecting portion of hard steel castto said sections and forming the intersection portion of the structure,substantially as described.

13. The herein-described railway frog or crossing, consisting of the tworail-sections'A and B having ther heads formed with oblique ends, theirweb and base portions extended beyond said ends, and their base portionspartly cut away on the inner side and abutted, the two opposite rails 13and C also having similarly-formed end portions, the .projecting websand bases of which substantially meetthose of the rails A and B, and acentral portion of hard steel cast to said rail-sec tions and formingthe intersection portion of the structure, substantially as described.

14. The combination, in a railway-track structure, of a plurality ofconverging rails having their base portions extending beyond their headportions, and a body of cast-steel filling the central cavity betweenthe heads of said rails and integrally'connected to the said baseswithin said cavity, the top of said body of steel forming theintersection of the tracks, substantially as described. I

15. In a railway frog or crossing, the combination of the convergingmembers having their web and base portions at their inner ends extendedbeyond their head portions, said extended base portions being cut awayand fitted to bring the web portions near each other, and a body ofcast-steel uniting said members and forming the intersection of thetracks, substantially as described.

l6. In a railway frog or crossing, a plurality of rail members havingtheir head por- IIS tions at their adjacent ends removed on converginglines which meet at the inner corners In testimony whereof I haveafiixed my sig of the rails, and their web and base portions nature inpresence of two witnesses. extended beyond said heads and convergingtoward the-center of the structure, together DU FONT 5 with a cast-steelbody uniting said members Witnesses:

and forming the intersection portion of the M. E. SHARPE, structure,substantially as described. H. W. SMITH.

